


Protocol: Hotel Check-in

by MassiveSpaceWren



Series: The Sunshine Protocols [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (although not really friends), Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Can be read as gen, Confused Bucky Barnes, Enemies to Friends, Gen or Pre-Slash, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 18:36:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9337820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MassiveSpaceWren/pseuds/MassiveSpaceWren
Summary: A shadow at the edge of Tony's field of vision caught his eye at the same time as JARVIS tried to call his attention to it.At the doorway to the smaller storage room, looking at Tony with a dark glare, stood none other than James Buchanan Barnes.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prequel to “Protocol: Summer Home”, but can be read on it’s own.
> 
> A huge thank you to [Dap](http://archiveofourown.org/users/dapperanachronism/pseuds/dapperanachronism), for beta! <3

“Sir, I believe there is something wrong with my sensors," JARVIS spoke up.

Tony kept his attention on the blueprints glowing on the screens. "What do you mean, 'something'? You'll have to be more specific, J," Tony said, waving his hands to move the schematics. If he could maximize the durability of the seam of the gauntlets, he could work on increasing the power output of the hand repulsors without losing structural integrity.

"Some of the sensors have been going offline, several of which dropped off in the last 90 seconds."

Tony frowned. "Throw it on the left screen, J." This shouldn’t be happening. Tony zoomed in on the Tower's schematics and looked at the positions of the affected nodes. He drummed his fingers on the desk, trying to understand what was happening. "Do you have anything on one of the other security videos?" Tony asked, but knowing JARVIS, he would have mentioned if there was.

A shadow at the edge of Tony's field of vision caught his eye at the same time as JARVIS tried to call his attention to it.

At the doorway to the smaller storage room, looking at Tony with a dark glare, stood none other than James Buchanan Barnes.

Tony swallowed hard and tried to move closer to the gauntlets that were lying on a workbench. Barnes stared at him, unmoving, but close enough for Tony's tastes. He had seen Captain America in battle often enough to know how fast a super soldier could cross the distance.

"Hey, Barnes... fancy seeing you here. You here for a visit?" Tony tried to keep his voice calm. Ever since he had accidentally run into a only half remembering Bucky Barnes on a late night stroll through the city, Tony had wondered if that would come back to bite him in the ass. After Barnes initial demand to not tell anyone about him, he had been gone as fast as he had appeared. Tony had been rather surprised to see him again a few weeks later, and again a few weeks after that, continuing to run into him every now and then, if Tony had been wandering around outside, alone. Barnes had seemed lucid enough, sometimes speaking a few sentences, usually including a threat should Tony let anything about his whereabouts slip.

So far, he had never done anything to Tony. But so far, he hadn't broken into the Tower undetected, either.

Barnes's gaze flitted across the room, lingering on the exit, the kitchenette, the nooks and corners for a few seconds. Tony could see him looking at his projects, strewn around the room, and saw how Barnes gaze hardened when he realized how close Tony was to the gauntlets. Tony held up his hands in a show of non aggression, even though he felt threatened more than being the one doing the threatening. His guest didn't need to know that he could call the armor with a gesture.

Barnes came a few steps closer, keeping his glare fixed on Tony. When he was close enough to a table he dropped a few ripped out cables and a camera on top of it.

Tony stopped in his tracks and stared, unbelieving, alternating between Barnes’ face and the poor security camera. _Well, at least I know why JARVIS's sensors went offline_ he thought. "Really?!" Tony started, annoyance getting the best of him, even in the face of one of the most dangerous assassins in history. "You had to rip that out? What did it ever do to you?"

Barnes actually glanced down at that, almost looking chastised, before leveling Tony with a piercing gaze again. "No one can know I am here," he said, his voice quiet but hard.

"Well, obviously I can know, because you just walked in here. Mind telling me why you are here?" Tony tried to sound nonchalant, hoping that staying calm would keep his visitor from doing anything rash.

Barnes scowled at Tony, the silence in the room almost long enough for Tony to start rambling again. When Barnes finally spoke, it was quiet and hesitating. "I... need a place to hide..."

Tony looked at him, incredulously. "What, you come to hide in the huge tower in the middle of New York, the thing everyone can see and knows about? Right where the great Captain America humbly resides, who is looking for you, by the way-"

"Shut up!" Barnes's hoarse shout caught Tony by surprise and made him freeze. Barnes was staring again, breathing heavily, his fists clenched and trembling. He took a deep breath and looked away, suddenly avoiding Tony's gaze. "I don't wanna talk about it." He licked his lips subconsciously. "Don't... don't tell anyone I am here. There just aren't many places no one can break into and get to me."

Tony stared, dumbfounded. He wasn't going to correct Barnes, how he himself had just broken into the tower without anyone noticing, but other than that, Tony had to admit, the tower was a pretty safe place. Tony looked at him for a while, realizing now how his gaze flickered across the room uncertainly, trying to take all of the situation in, and how his hands clenched and unclenched in a nervous tick. Tony sighed.

"...Fine. You can stay here for a bit, and I won't tattle on you," he relented. He thought he saw Barnes relax somewhat, and realized the dark shadows under his eyes made him look tired, once Barnes eased up on the scowl. But that might have been Tony’s imagination.

Barnes nodded and started walking around the workshop, checking all nooks and exits. Tony folded his arms across his chest and sighed, resigned. "Okay, rules! You stay on this floor. If someone comes here, you stay hidden." Barnes had stopped his inspection when Tony started talking and was now glaring at him again. "Those are for your own good, _you_ didn't want to be found. There is a storage room down there, where nobody usually goes." Tony gestured to a corner with an old door. "You don't touch anything that even remotely looks like one of my projects. Would make me rethink my hospitality. But still mostly for your own good, a lot of my projects go boom when handled wrong."

Tony paused, waiting for an answer, but when none came, he decided to take Barnes' silence as affirmation, in spite of the dark looks the man was giving him. "Don't cause any trouble, and we'll just be fine. You hungry? I'm starving. I'll order some pizza, which do you want?" Tony waited for a reply again, but Barnes just stood unmoving and silent, his body tense.

"Aren't you a sunshine...," Tony muttered under his breath. He turned away, trying to seem unconcerned, while watching Barnes from the corner of his eyes. Even if JARVIS' surveillance was better than human, warning Tony would take a second and he was not quite ready to bet his life on that.

"J, place an order for pizza, you know the place. Might as well order enough for the team, too. Various toppings." Tony took one of his gauntlets, made a show of inspecting it as if he was working on it, before taking it with him to the screens and putting it down next to him. "Let me know when the food arrives."

After a moment, Barnes returned to roaming around the room, checking the entrance and kitchenette, inspecting all corners, and walking in a careful circle around the bots. Tony returned to the blueprints he had been trying to improve, but couldn't focus on actually working. He fiddled a little to keep appearance up, but concentrated on observing Barnes. After circling the room twice, Barnes returned to a corner out of the way, and stood there, watching.

Tony thought that Barnes seemed nervous and on edge. While Tony had a feeling that Barnes hadn't come here to hurt him, he was aware that startling a jumpy and anxious ex-assassin might end badly. Still, having Barnes here was better than him wandering through streets full of civilians in this condition.

A tense half an hour later, JARVIS announced that the pizza arrived.

“Wait here,” Tony said, pointing at Barnes and sending him a stern look. He left the workshop, going just slow enough it would not seem like fleeing. “Keep an eye on Barnes, J,” he murmured in the elevator. He grabbed two pizzas and hurried down again, before the other Avengers showed up for the food.

When he arrived back in the workshop, Barnes seemed to not have moved at all. Tony tried to look nonchalant when he set the pizzas down onto a unused and only slightly cluttered desk.

“There, help yourself,” Tony said while grabbing a piece and taking a bite.

Barnes did not move. He only glared more and shot the pizza a suspicious look. Tony shrugged and went back to his screens, trying to actually get some work done. Trying to keep all his attention on Barnes for however long he stayed seemed counterproductive and exhausting. He started a simulation for different alloys to use in his gauntlets, when he saw Barnes move from the corner of his eyes. He took a piece of pizza from the one Tony had eaten from, and wolfed it down, only stopping when he had devoured the rest of the pizza. Afterwards, Barnes returned to a corner of the workshop to keep an eye on things.

After Tony ate from the second pizza, Barnes dared to try it, too, eating it at least a bit slower than the last one.

As time passed, Barnes seemed to relax a little more, even though he was still eyeing Tony and Tony was watching him.

A while later, Barnes actually seemed to be getting sleepy. With only a last glare, Barnes walked to a corner of the lab and unceremoniously laid down on the floor.

Tony blinked, surprised. Before he could really think about it, his mouth had already started talking.

“Come on, one-armed bandit, the floor can't be that comfortable! Take the couch. What do you think I set that up for?”

Barnes startled and sat up again, frowning. Tony sighed and started sliding the couch towards Barnes' corner. When Tony backed away again, Barnes turned it so the backrest would be between him and the rest of the room.

Tony rolled his eyes and grabbed a blanket and a pillow from one of the cupboards. He had slept in the workshop sometimes, if he was too tired to move more than a few meters, but he had tried to not make a habit of it. Having the Avengers here with him actually helped his sleeping schedule more than he had realized.

Tony carried pillow and blanket over and handed them to Barnes. Even scowling, he seemed less intimidating while hugging a pillow to his chest.

Without a word, Barnes laid down and went to sleep. Tony stood awkwardly for a moment, before going back to work.

Barnes must have been terribly exhausted if he allowed himself to sleep while Tony was still there.

 

\---

 

Tony stayed awake all night, half because he liked to keep working and half because he didn't dare to leave Barnes alone. When he came back from the bathroom in the morning, Barnes was gone. The blanket and pillow was still on the couch.

Tony went up to the penthouse to sleep, slumping onto his bed and falling asleep immediately.

 

\---

 

Bucky frowned at the lock. He had been lucky the last time, now it just wouldn't open.

He had snuck out of the Tower, not wanting to face Stark again, and spent the last two days looking for a new hideout to sleep in. Sadly, he had been less than successful. There weren't many empty places around the city that no one tried to enter, or that he could secure on his own. Still, this city was as good as any to stay in, at least as long as he didn’t want to leave the country. After the incident in Washington, after his fights with Captain America, he had been confused and tried to hide, at first. When he had had a nightmare he was sure had been more of a memory, he had finally decided to try and make sense of the situation. Bucky had gone to a museum to read about Steve and about himself, but when he tried to actually remember, a painful flashback left him reeling and with a headache, so he tried not to think about it. He didn’t remember who he was, but he also wasn’t the person he’d read about in the museum. So he’d left Washington, and come to New York, and so far had done okay on his own. But now his old hideout was torn down, and even he couldn't stay awake forever. He knew he'd be an easy target while unconscious.

Now he was back at Stark Tower, yearning for another night of actual sleep and possible safety. Staying outside and eventually falling asleep where he could be easily attacked was worse than betting on Stark not turning on him. At least he hoped.

Bucky eyed the lock one last time, before precisely punching it with the metal hand to break it. Moments later, he was through the door and in the workshop again.

Stark looked up when he entered, his expression unreadable.

“Did you break anything on your way in?” Stark asked, shooting Bucky a suspicious look.

Bucky looked down, huffed and shrugged minutely. It wasn't like he hadn't tried to get in with just picking the lock.

The AI spoke up with a little more information. “The door in sector 3 has been damaged, Sir, it's locking mechanisms don't work currently.”

Stark shook his head, his face tilted down. For a moment Bucky thought he could see an amused twitch in Stark's mouth, but he was hard to read. When Stark looked up again, his eyes were serious. "So. You're back," He said. "Care to tell me why?" He added after Bucky had nodded slightly.

Bucky tensed. Trusting Stark enough to stay here was a gamble. Stark could probably kill him with his armor, if Bucky wasn't fast enough to stop him. With the tower's defenses, the AI and the Avengers living upstairs, there was more than one way Stark could take him out.

The bet was that Stark _wouldn't_.

With the weeks he had watched Stark, after he had met him unintentionally, he suspected Stark would not attack him unprompted. Even if he did, this was still better than what awaited him should HYDRA find him in the streets.

He already had to trust Stark with his life for now, so he might as well tell the truth. "I'm still looking for a different place to stay. Can I... sleep here again?" Bucky's voice was quiet, but firmer than before. He swallowed nervously.

Stark stared at him for a while, unmoving, then he nodded. "Fine," he sighed. His demeanor changed with him grinning and clapping his hands together once. "Food is also a good idea, right? Chinese?"

Bucky was still reeling from that sudden change and from trying to figure Stark out, so he just gaped, saying nothing.

"I'll take that as a yes," Stark quipped, before falling into a conversation with his AI.

When Stark carried the food in, later, he grabbed a carton and tried some before setting it down again. “Ugh, no, this is not my taste...,” Stark mumbled, his mouth turned down. He took a different box and began shoveling food into his mouth.

Bucky quickly took the meal Stark had not wanted, congratulating himself on his luck. Good thing that Stark was picky, like this Bucky was reasonably sure the food hadn't been tempered with.

They ate in silence. Even while eating, Stark kept glancing at his screens, or setting the food down to type. At some point, he just kept working, the empty carton standing next to him, forgotten.

Bucky took the opportunity to look around the workshop again. Most of the projects scattered around looked interesting, but he couldn't quite concentrate on figuring them out, not while he had to keep an eye on Stark and the exits. Even if he could, Stark told him not to touch anything. He wasn't sure if he was more worried of provoking his host, or for the contraptions to explode.

He still spent more time glancing at the inventions than was necessary to assess his surroundings. Weirdly enough, he still thought about how they would work. Would he be able to figure it out, if he was allowed to take them apart? If Stark would explain the math behind it? He knew how to calculate things, like the path of a bullet, how to factor in wind drift and angle compensation. Frowning, Bucky startled. He _liked_ to think about the math, he decided.

He’d write this new observation down into the small, scruffy notebook tucked in his pocket, right next to the other memories and discoveries about himself, as soon as he was alone again.

When he had calmed down enough to sleep, Bucky went to the couch again to lie down, only to be interrupted by Stark's voice.

“Wait. Don't you want to, I don't know, brush teeth or take a shower or something?”

Bucky stopped dead in his tracks. Was he that dirty already? Sure, he hadn't had time to care about these things for a while, but it seemed unimportant when he wasn't sure if the people he was hiding from would get him soon. When he slowly turned around, Stark was looking at him with a questioning gaze, his eyes without judgement. _Maybe showering would be nice._ Bucky thought, startling when he realized that he believed Stark offered him a shower without ulterior motives.

“I don't have..., “ Bucky started, but Stark was already shaking his head.

“I have everything you need. Well, at least the basics.” Stark motioned towards the bathroom and Bucky followed slowly. “Towels are over there, a new toothbrush should be in the medicine cabinet. I'll leave you to it.” Stark was out of the bathroom a second later. Bucky swallowed. He closed the door after shooting a glance through the room and outside, confirming Stark had returned to his screens. While he didn't like being cooped up in the small room, now that he thought of it, he really wanted a shower. He undressed quickly and stepped into the cabin, relishing in the warm spray of water for a few moments, before washing methodically.

When he came out of the bathroom, Stark seemed to be still working. Bucky toweled his hair dry, or as dry as it would get now, and lay down on the couch to sleep.

The last time he had been here, he had been tired enough not to care anymore, and only suspected that whatever Stark had in store for him was not as bad as what HYDRA would do to him, if they found him in the streets. This time, he didn't just think this was the lesser of two evils. This time, he felt almost content, and more like himself than he had for a long time, even if he didn't really know who he was anymore. The sudden realization caught him off guard and left him reeling for a moment. He actually felt like he would be safe here until the next morning.

 

\---

 

Tony balanced two plates and a bottle of juice, when he came back from his 'morning supply run' to the tower's kitchen. Even if he was less concerned than when Barnes had shown up, he still didn't like leaving him alone with his inventions. When he entered the workshop again and glanced at the couch, it was empty.

He set down the plates and looked around the room. No surprise there, he had suspected that Barnes would flee again when he was looking away.

He froze when steps sounded behind him. Tony turned sharply, only to be confronted with a startled Barnes, who had come from the bathroom. They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Tony forced himself to relax and pointed at the pastries he had brought down. Grabbing the knife, he cut a filled donut in half. "I'm willing to share, but not to just give up all the delicious sweets," he mumbled while chewing. The second half vanished moments later into Barnes' mouth.

They continued their breakfast like that, until the plates were empty.

Barnes started pacing after a while, before turning to Tony to glare at him. Tony just stared back, confused. The dark look Barnes shot him intensified and Barnes hissed quietly, then sucked in a breath and looked at the floor. "Can I… come back here? Sometime?" he murmured.

Tony gaped, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. _That_ he had not expected.

"Okay. Let's make a deal. You can come back, if you don't damage more of my stuff on your way in," Tony started, half not believing what the was saying. "Sneak all you want, but if you want to go through a door, just wave at a security camera. JARVIS runs them all, he can alert me and let you in. Deal?"

Barnes glared at him again and then fled through the door.

_I guess no answer is also an answer?_ Tony thought, scratching his head.

 

\---

 

Tony kept working for most of the morning. Staying up through the night two days ago and then sleeping all afternoon had destroyed his sleeping cycle enough that he wasn't tired yet. He sighed. He had really tried to maintain a healthier sleeping pattern after the rest of the Avengers goaded him into it.

A few hours later, Steve came down to the workshop, setting down a plate with sandwiches next to him. As if Tony wouldn't eat when working. Sure, he mostly snacked or drank DUM-E's smoothies, but that counted for something, right?

Steve looked around the workshop, his frown deepening as he took it all in. "Tony, how long have you been working on this? Did you sleep at all last night?"

Tony snorted. "Nope, can't say that I have." It wasn't any of Steve's business if a certain assassin had shifted Tony's working hours to nighttime.

Steve crossed his arms and sent Tony a determined look. "Tony, you need to sleep. Work on this some other time. Come upstairs with me. You shouldn't stay down here longer."

Tony rolled his eyes before turning to answer. "I am capable of deciding what to do on my own, thank you very much. If you want to order me around, save it for some other time."

Steve's expression shifted rapidly, first into concern, then into stubborn determination. "Fine. Do what you want." Steve turned away to leave. "I was just trying to help," he mumbled on his way out.

Tony sighed heavily. He was aware that Steve's nagging had turned from actual dislike to concern, but he still acted like Tony could not survive a day on his own. Sure, he forgot to sleep sometimes when a particularly interesting project grabbed his attention. That didn't mean Steve should try to control Tony's sleeping schedule if he hadn't even been up for more than 20 hours.

Especially when often enough, it wasn't even the projects that kept him awake, but rather the nightmares that didn't let him sleep.

He sighed and promised himself to try to sleep early enough today.

 

\---

 

Barnes didn't show up in the night after he had left, nor the following one. On the third evening, Tony had finally dragged himself out of the workshop again for more than just sleep, and walked into the communal kitchen. After half expecting Barnes to show up again with broken surveillance equipment, and staying vigilant down in the workshop for most of the last days, Tony suspected that his demand for Barnes to ask to be let in had driven the man off. He had decided to accept that, given in to his rumbling stomach and gone up to get some food.

Tony put the huge plate of leftovers from the rest of the team's dinner last night into the microwave and waved at Bruce and Steve, who were sitting at the table and engrossed in their reading. He was already getting bored with waiting when JARVIS spoke up.

"Sir, you should return to the workshop. Further instructions are needed."

Tony frowned for a moment, then made a questioning noise at JARVIS.

"Two days ago you left instructions about the entrances that were inconclusive. You need to decide how to proceed with the situation at hand, as your-"

Tony had sucked in a sharp breath. "Ah, Yes! JARVIS, mute, I get it." He nearly jumped at the beeping of the microwave. With a glance at Steve and Bruce, who were shooting him a confused look, he took the food and made his way to the elevator. "I've been going through the tower's and JARVIS's systems. Checking everything. Better get back to that," he mumbled in the direction of his teammates.

When the elevator doors closed, he took a deep breath to calm down. "My guest is back?" Tony asked, just to make sure.

"He is standing outside the door in sector three and has made himself known to my sensors," JARVIS replied.

Huh. How about that.

"Let him in, J. And make sure he gets to the workshop," Tony said. "I really need to find a better way for you to alert me without the others knowing," he added, mumbling.

Tony barely entered the room, before Barnes walked in.

 

\---

 

Bucky had been trying to avoid returning to Stark. He spent the days searching for a place to lay low, but it was harder than he had thought. On the third day, he had finally found a potential hideout. He'd watched it for a while, trying to find out if it was as secure as it seemed.

When he dozed off for the third time while sitting motionless to survey the building, he decided he would give up for tonight, and return to Stark Tower. He snuck in until he reached the sufficiently locked doors, further inside the building.

He swallowed. Actually making himself known went against every instinct and training he followed to survive.

Bucky took a deep breath and stepped into the view of the surveillance camera.

A few agonizing minutes, nothing happened. Then the AI's voice allowed him to come in, and the door opened. Bucky slipped through the doorway quietly and approached the workshop.

"Hi, honey, you're home just in time for dinner," Stark's voice greeted him in a sarcastic tone. Bucky glared at the man, annoyed Stark could have predicted him returning now. He should be more careful.

Stark raised an eyebrow and sighed theatrically. "Lighten up, sunshine, no one knows you're here. But you have either the worst or the best timing ever, because I just got myself food. Which you will now be able to scrounge off me," Stark drawled, while setting the plate down and taking a bite of the rice dish “But it’s fine, I can share.” After chewing a mouthful or two, he pushed the plate towards Bucky, and motioned for him to eat.

Bucky was tired, but he knew he should take the opportunity, it had been a while since had gotten a meal. He began shovelling food into his mouth, while Stark shot him a glance from his work station. The food was tasty, and Stark eating it too reassured him. Good thing that Stark was picky about his cuisine.

Bucky froze. Was Stark eccentric about his food? Bucky narrowed his eyes and looked at Stark, who tried to seem distracted, but had obviously been watching a moment before. The only times Stark had displayed the habit of trying some food and then not eating more was around Bucky.

Bucky's blood ran cold. Stark had been doing it on purpose. Clenching his hand around the fork, Bucky tried to keep breathing normally. If it was on purpose, then Stark could still have done something to the food. Had Stark done it just to trick him?

The fork broke in his hand. Bucky startled from his thoughts and flinched back. When he looked up, he saw that Stark was watching him, a hand half reaching towards him. Bucky expected to see triumph or hatred on Stark's face, but only saw concern.

"Barnes? You all right there?" Stark asked.

Bucky kept his piercing gaze on Stark's face. "What did you do to the food?" he grit out.

The confusion Stark displayed was immediate and didn't seem rehearsed. He slowly put up his hands to show he meant no harm. "What's wrong with the food? What do you mean?"

"You ate from my food to convince me it was edible!" Bucky growled, his fists clenched.

Stark's expression turned sheepish and one of his hands reached up to scratch the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess I did. I just wanted to make sure you knew it wasn't tampered with in any way," he sighed.

Bucky took a step closer, his teeth bared and muscles coiled to fight or run, the blood rushing in his ears.

"Hey, hey! Calm down. I swear I did nothing to the food! It was completely normal, standard food," Stark rushed to say, taking a step back. "I ate the stuff too! That was the whole point."

Bucky stared at Stark, whose face showed anger and fear now, but underneath was still mostly the concern he saw before. Swallowing heavily, Bucky forced himself to take a step back. He realized how laboured his breathing had become and concentrated on slowing it.

When he looked up again, Stark was still watching him with a guarded expression and Bucky avoided his gaze. "I... I'm just making sure..." Bucky mumbled, unsure about how to proceed.

Stark sighed and was silent for a few moments, then talked quietly. "No harm done. I get it, I mean we all have weird eating habits right? In my case it's just easier to pay people to take care of it... Huh, I guess you need a new fork though."

Only after Stark had placed a clean fork on the plate and returned to his screens, Bucky dared to move again. He ate silently, glancing at Stark now and then. Stark seemed to be as absorbed in his work as ever, but on second glance it was visible that he held himself with a lot more tension now.

When Bucky finished the meal, he suddenly realized how tired he really was. Feeling threatened here, where he had hoped to be safe, had only added to his weariness. Stark had done nothing to him so far, and even tried to give him a safe way to eat. Bucky turned to the couch again, but looked back at his host. "Can I still..." he started, motioning towards the corner with the sofa in it.

Stark looked at him, stopping what he was doing. Then he slowly nodded. "As I said, you can sleep there," he said quietly, before turning away again. "My offer still stands. That isn't dependant on not having a minor freakout."

Bucky just nodded and shuffled towards the couch, falling asleep as soon as he hit the pillows.

 

\---

 

Tony worked through the night, but his thoughts drifted off every now and then.

Barnes had clearly been under a lot of stress lately. Tony had been worried that with his past as the Winter Soldier, and his not quite stable state of mind, Barnes might try to kill him at the slightest annoyance.

But he hadn't.

Barnes had obviously been angry and felt attacked when he confronted Tony about the food. And Tony had to admit, he was right. If Tony had wanted to put something in, he probably could have figured out a way that allowed him to eat parts of it, or had taken an antidote. He ran a hand down his face. He probably shouldn't mention that in front of Barnes.

Barnes stirred in the early morning hours. He looked around the room, calculating, before apparently deeming it safe enough to disappear into the bathroom. When he came out he was freshly showered, but only hovered around the workshop, jumpy and on edge.

Tony decided to stand by his proposal.

With a bit of typing, he had most of the things he'd need set up.

"Okay. As I said last night, the offer still stands. You come here, don't break anything, you can sleep here. Also..." He wrote down a number on a slip of paper. "...I set up a phone for you to call. Should you have any reason to contact me. You never know." He set the number down by the edge of the desk. "It leads directly to me or JARVIS. I think you can still find one or the other payphone. Or, if all fails, get a mobile phone somewhere. You okay with that, Barnes?"

"My name is _Bucky_." Barnes voice was quiet but determined.

Tony looked at him, and nodded minutely. "Fine, Bucky, then."

Bucky paced around the room long enough for Tony to turn to his work again. Later, Bucky left as quiet as he usually came, snagging the piece of paper on the way out.

Tony allowed himself a small smile. "J, set up a group of warning protocols for me. Warning one would be Bucky approaching the Tower, or wanting to be let in. Just in case he wants to sleep here again. Should be something that wouldn't make anyone suspicious, though. How about Codename 'Protocol: Hotel Check-in'. Other protocols still to come. Got that, JARVIS?" Tony's hands flew over his interface at the same time, adjusting the parameters.

"Very well, Sir. What name should I save the category of instructions as?"

Tony smirked at the thought of such a harmless name for a visit by a famous assassin. "He's been such a sunshine lately, might as well call it that."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> If you want, leave a comment, feedback is appreciated. If I overlooked any mistakes, feel free to point them out :)  
> If you like winteriron and want to come talk, my tumblr is massivespacewren.


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